The Shadows of Townsville
by Aliceblu3
Summary: It's been so easy-going up until now. Just the girls and a few monsters. But things start to change when the boys come home and start cooking up some plans of their own. But even that pales in comparison to whats happening in the shadows of Townsville.
1. Chapter 1

**So I know some of you were reading Girls and Boys and I haven't finished that but i'm sorry because i'm not going to finish it. The writing was bad and I don't know where exactly I was taking the story. So I hope this new ppg story will soothe your pain.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own ppg.**

The assembly was as boring as it was every year, once we started high school we had expected everything to become magical and exciting like in the movies, sadly that wasn't the case. Bubbles sat on my left, Buttercup on my right. The whole school had been piled into the gym, to spend what was supposed to be an exciting end to the day to get us hyped for the soccer game after school.

I threw a glance at Buttercup to make sure she was okay. She had tried and failed to stay on the soccer team but school and monsters weren't a good combination and eventually she had to quit. She looked bored and slightly irritated, but that was normal.

Her uniform, a long sleeve button up that the guys adored do to its sheer fabric and tendency to become tight at the boobs after a few washes. This was especially true for Buttercup who had had somewhat of a growth spurt recently and had to buy all new bras. Her shirt was unbuttoned at the top and a bit of cleavage peaked out. She had an athlete's body and was slim and toned everywhere else. Her legs, a favorite of the guys were long and toned a striking white against her black skirt.

Cheering erupted, or rather it kind of trickled through the auditorium, most people didn't bother with it and so it was rather a weak attempt at spirit. Bubbles clapped and wooed next to me, seeming completely oblivious to the silence around her, though I knew that was untrue. Bubbles was the most observant person I knew, possibly even rivaling me. She jumped up and down, still cheering, and it caught the attention of every boy, and most girls, around us.

Bubbles had always had small boobs to match her slim body but they gave her an appeal all her own. They weren't a miserable size, they were just Bs bordering on Cs but with her petite frame they looked a lot bigger. Big enough to bounce a bit as she jumped. She had the build of a model but was shorter than one by a long shot, she was 5'3'' and hated it because I was 5'6'' and Buttercup was 5'8''.

She got teased about her height a lot but that didn't mean that she still didn't get called hot and whistled at. In fact, most every guy in the school said even if she was shorter than most girls they'd still—never mind.

"It's ending!" Bubbles squealed catching me in a hug.

"Thank god. I thought I might have to run out to go fight an imaginary monster if it didn't." Buttercup ran a hand through her hair making it fall in silky waves around her face. She usually neatly parted it down the middle but it was always a different story halfway through the day.

We made our way through the crowd and I wanted to just fly but skirts and flying weren't the innocent match they'd been back in the day. Especially not these ones that always seemed to have plans of their own. I hate crowds, I'm not claustrophobic or anything but people always rubbed up against me, up against my boobs and I couldn't do much about it with all the people around. I had boobs bigger than Buttercup and I had adjusted but they always seem to get in the way.

Bubbles held close to me, not wanting to get swept away and Buttercup never had too much trouble in these situations. People kept their distance from her, after the last time she'd been on edge and almost broke some guys arm.

"Finally." I sighed catching up to Buttercup with Bubbles by my side. We were flying now and the breeze felt amazing.

"I hate assemblies." Bubbles sighed falling into formation slightly behind Buttercup.

"Then why do you get so excited and cheer?" Buttercup asked.

"If I don't who will?" She shook her head disappointed. "I wouldn't want to be the one stuck down there performing for a completely silent audience."

"They aren't cheering because 1) the cheerleaders suck. 2) The teachers are annoying and 3) because they all look just as bored as we are." Buttercup scoffed, Bubbles looked a bit sad but knew it was true.

"I guess you're right."

"Besides" I offered. "I'm pretty sure you don't even like the cheerleaders."

"No. They don't like me. There's a difference."

"Really?" Buttercup pushed looking as skeptical as ever."

"Yes. If I didn't like them then there would be hell. Thankfully because I do like them there is opportunity."

"Opportunity?" I asked.

"Opportunity for friendship." She sang. Now that she was older her voice was less nasally but all the same her singing sucked. Buttercup cringed, shooting us the evil eye.

"And we know how much she loves friends." Buttercup commented flying through her window. The professor had added onto the house and we all had our own room now. Each the same size of the old one. Bubbles had stayed in the old one, and cried a whole bunch when we left despite the two doors that linked the rooms together.

I had the left room, and it was painted crème with pink accents. A computer and desk in the corner, bookshelf on the far wall, pictures and posters had lined the wall until recently when I took it all down in favor of a few paintings Bubbles had done. One was of us and the professor and another was a monochrome painting of my favorite scientists juxtaposed together in pink, pretty standard stuff.

I drew the blinds before I started changing giving the room the feel of a horror movie. It was a relief to get my shirt off, it always felt so constricting and I've torn shirts while fighting because I can't throw a good punch with my boobs being smashed against me. I threw on a t-shirt with Albert Einstein sticking out his tongue and pajama shorts then floated down to the kitchen where Bubbles and Buttercup were already at.

"Aaron Reed invited us to a party tonight, should we go?" Buttercup asked shoving a handful of popcorn into her mouth.

"Aaron Reed?" I frowned picturing an 18 year old social-light. He was on the soccer team and his parents were pretty well off so he was popular but mostly he was just a pervy senior I caught giving me bedroom eyes a lot of the time.

"He's nice—but a party?" Bubbles questioned. As the town's heroes we were automatically popular when we got to high school last year. Bubbles had been basically the same naturally gorgeous blonde as she is now except our height differences weren't as apparent and she had a little less boobs and you didn't have to be psychic to see where Buttercups boobs were going but she had messier hair and always dressed in sweat pants and a hoodie, which I'm sure she would still be doing if not for the new dress code. My boobs were about the same my face was about the same, I pretty much wore the same thing too. Bubbles and I got invited to parties all the time but buttercup, not so much, and so Bubbles and I didn't go to any. We never even mentioned we got invited to any.

"I don't know do _you_ want to go?" I looked at Buttercup unsure.

"I don't care." She said, but she looked away like she always did when she lied and I knew she really wanted to go. Bubbles and I shared a look and it was pretty much decided that we'd go.

A few hours later I sat on my bed a shopping bag lay on the floor full of clothes I'd bought at the mall earlier. It only took a few minutes for Buttercup to realize that she had nothing to wear and that led to the mall and led a bag full of new clothes.

On my bed, with the price tag still attached was a red satin dress. It was completely gorgeous, hugging my body in all the right places and sitting just below my upper thigh. I smeared a bit of mascara and green eyeliner on to play up my eyes. Unlike Bubbles who had eyes that seemed to be a cross between a tranquil ocean and diamond and Buttercup who always looked like she was about to pounce on someone and rip their shirt off although I'm pretty sure that was never true about her, my eyes, though as pink as my bed sheets, didn't have anything but grogginess in them. A few hours of straightening my rapunzel-esque locks and painting my nails later, I met up with the girls at the front door. The professor had been locked in his lab for days now, we weren't completely sure why but we've learned not to ask. Bubbles set out some tacos she had bought at chipotle a few hours earlier and they were gone now, a good sign that he was still alive.

"Well, how do I look?" Buttercup asked half jokingly and half terrified.

"Hot." Bubbles confirmed looking her up and down with the look Aaron Reed gives me at lunch, and rightfully so, because Buttercup looked practically pornographic in an emerald skater dress with a sweetheart neckline and lace sleeves that stopped below her elbow. Her eyes were smudged with gray mascara and her lips had a trusty and true red shade of lipstick applied with perfect precision. I wanted to do her and the feelings got stronger hen I swept her long creamy legs and stopped at the black pumps she wore. I hadn't seen her grab them but the half lace half velvet duo was doing it for me no doubt.

"Sexy." I said cocking an eyebrow and biting my lip a bit, making her blush a bit in embarrassment.

I wasn't sure about flying to the party in our dresses but Aaron lived miles away and super speed wasn't an option in heels. While we flew I caught sight of Bubbles. She wore a dark blue skater dress with short sleeves and a white collar. It was simple and innocent but had some kind of sex appeal around it that only Bubbles could have. She had wore white pumps with a bow on the back and little to no makeup Just a bit of lip gloss, and a bit of brown eyeliner around her wide eyes. Her eyelashes were already longer than some fake eyelashes so she didn't bother with mascara and she just swept her shoulder length waves to the side.

It was hardly any time before we got to Aarons and the party was in full swing. When we walked in the door there was no moment of silence just some drunken stares and whistles, another reason to never trust movies.

Despite our efforts to stay together we all got swept away, it's not like e planned to stay together anyway when in social settings. Bubbles got pulled off to who knows where and Buttercup found some of her guy friends nestled off in a corner, and me, lucky me, got pulled aside by Aaron.

He looked me up and down his eyes not completely fogged over by booze but getting there. We stood in a corner and no one bothered us, they were all busy with other stuff I guess.

"So you came. Didn't think you would." He said his voice low and husky.

"Neither did I." I said feeling a mix of anger and embarrassment rise up in me as his eyes settled on my breasts. The halter dress I ore felt kind of unsecure to me and I felt myself get kind of defensive.

"Well no that you finally came to one of my parties want to dance? We could just talk all night too, I can get lost in your eyes." He sighed, finally looking down at my face.

"Oh really?" I laughed harshly. He didn't seem to notice my tone he just smiled down at me with a goofy expression. His hazel fixed on mine. He looked sweet but there was still something behind his expression that creeped me out.

"Hey I've always wanted to ask." He said breaking out of his daze; he leaned close to my ear, scaring me. I jumped back a bit before but I could still hear what he said. "Are you a virgin?"

I swear to god I almost killed him. I was seething. I swung my fist to kill, but someone caught me, and when I looked up and saw who it was it seemed only right to kill him instead. Brick stood, smirking and holding my fist back.

This definitely something I had expected. Partly because it was just stupid to get between a powerpuff girls fist and partly because it was Brick. Who had left Townsville years ago when we were young? It was odd that I even remembered his face. Let alone recognized him but he hadn't changed honestly. Same challenging eyes, same messy red hair, and same blood red piercing eyes.

I turned my rage on him, though I wasn't mad at him, I really had no reason to be. He left and I got to live a somewhat peaceful life. But anger and embarrassment still welled inside me and here was someone I could beat up all I wanted without having anything on my conscience, so I swung—hard.


	2. Chapter 2

When the party started I found some friends and was hanging with them when I heard a crash and turned to see a completely red blossom glaring at someone across the room. I followed her eyes and caught sight of what she was staring at.

Brick pushed back his hair and a cool smirk on his face. Seeing him caught me off guard, why wouldn't it, I thought he was dead or in jail somewhere. Catching my eye, his smirk deepened and he looked me up and down, slowly, like a challenge. The cocky smirk never left his lips.

"What are you doing back here?" I asked, trying to cool down the situation without actually telling Blossom to calm down (that never worked). She looked at me and seemed to realize how stupid she looked glaring at him for no real reason. Her features relaxed and she acted like nothing had happened.

"Not what I want to be doing." He said, the same taunting smirk marking his features.

"I hope you _want_ to be fighting. If you don't wipe that smirk off your face I will." Buttercup spit, walking out of the crowd, people moved to make room and she looked like a real badass.

"Well then I should learn how to smirk, cuz' I know what fighting leads to when I'm throwing punches and there are a few key places I didn't get a chance to see last time I was here." What could only be a comeback from Butch sounded from the door and sure enough next to him was Boomer. They didn't seem to notice me and seemed to be enjoying the sight of Buttercup.

"Keep up the smart talk and the only thing you'll be seeing is stars." I said, momentarily falling out of diplomat mode. They seemed to be the same old jerks they were when they left, just with a few more interests. "Stop being creepy." I said plainly, switching my tone over so I could steer the conversation away from fighting. They gave me the same eyes they had been giving Buttercup, but they didn't seem to recognize me until I switched out of defense mode.

"Sorry." Butch breathed seemingly taken back by my attitude, or maybe my look. I know he wasn't watching my face.

"We aren't here to start any fights." Brick said, turning suddenly approachable. The tension buzzing in the air ceased and I picked up a happy face.

"What are you guys doing back here?" Bloss questioned moving to stand behind me along with buttercup.

"This town is our home, figured we come back to stay." Boomer chirped leaning against Bricks shoulder. The three of them towered like skyscrapers, though I knew to Bloss and Buttercup they were only a bit taller. They all seemed to hover around 6' tall. Butch was the tallest at about 6' 3''. He had buffed up and I could see through his green t-shirt that he was ripped. His dark hair was gelled up and peaked at the front. All of them had lost the chubby cheeks of childhood and Butch took on a more angular face.

"Stay where? You guys lived with Mojo and god knows where that ape went." Buttercup scoffed.

"We can just bunk in his old lair." Brick shrugged. His thick hair stuck up around his head. It was in choppy tufts that reached down skimming his neck. He had a fit build not quite as chiseled and obvious as Butch, just kind of healthy looking.

"That place is a dump." Blossom warned. "Spider webs and broken glass everywhere." She shook her head. "It's falling apart."

"We plan to rebuild." Boomer reassured her, earning him a cocked eyebrow but she didn't look into it anymore.

"Well it wasn't all that stable to begin with" I joked. "It was built by a bunch of five year olds." Boomer smiled at me, his dark blue eyes seemed to take on an extra dimension. He was lean but built and his hair hung in chunks around his face.

The tension had all but faded away and all that was left was a ton of awkwardness. Butch glanced at me and his eyes felt heavy on me, and I wondered if I had something in my teeth. Almost a minute passed, just a minute of the boys looking up and down at us and though she tried to hide it, I caught Buttercup biting her lip while watching Butch. He didn't seem to notice though.

An hour into the party we stood in a circle playing that game from clueless, the one where you pass the card between lips, Suck-and-Blow. It was a bit nerve-racking, I hadn't had a drop of alcohol unlike my sisters who were first time drinkers and honestly I was not drunk enough for this, not that I wanted to be drunk.

I was standing between Blossom and Buttercup, not wanting to have to be that close to kissing a guy, actually I didn't want to play at all, but if I could keep another asshole from getting too close to Buttercup, who I was worried would start stripping any second, and Blossom, whose boobs had their own zip code, then I was going to

I felt secure between my sisters but Aaron pushed himself between me and Blossom and to my right Butch had come between me and Buttercup, remarking that even though everyone would love some sister on sister action, if I was here then some unlucky guy would have been caught next to another unlucky guy. '

Aaron started passing around the card and I held my breath when he passed it off to Blossom. He lightly held her waist and his chest was up against hers, if she was sober she would have thrown up. Then Blossom passed off to another guy, Zane Donald, he was on the football team and pretty mild-mannered, but he was drunk right now, drunk enough to cup Bloss's boob in front of everyone before quickly passing off the card.

As the card went around the room my anxiety kept growing, until it made it to Buttercup who took it from Mitch, who thankfully was one of her best friends and didn't try anything. It wasn't until Buttercup was passing it to Butch that I realized I had to grab it from him too. At first I was really anxious but when he didn't try anything with Buttercup I figured I'd be fine. The pass was quick and I was scared I'd screw up, but I didn't.

"Is this your first time playing this?" Butch asked before taking the card from Buttercup. The edge that had been there before was gone, as I passed to Aaron. I heard the card drop before I noticed what was happening and I braced myself for what would come next but a kiss never came because Butch had pulled me pack the second Aaron made a move and met his lips with a fist. A chorus of Ohs and and laughter sounded around us and I felt Bloss and Buttercup at my side a second later.

"God what a creep." Blossom mumbled looking down at Aaron. He lay on the floor in a heap, a big purple bruise forming on his chin.

"Nice punch." Buttercup complimented Butch. He shot her a smirk and then a second later I was pushing the girls out of the house, exhausted and utterly done with boys. I felt bad for Aaron's parents partly due to their trashed house and partly due to their brain dead son.

At home I changed and wiped off my face. It took a millisecond for me to change and to climb into bed; I heard a whisper of a groan coming from Buttercup's room. If she thought she felt shitty now she'd be surprised in the morning. I flinched at the thought of morning and for the first time a thought crossed my mind. Would the Rowdyruff Boys show up at school too?

They hadn't mentioned it but I thought that they would. I tried to imagine Butch in the uniform, I couldn't see the tie translating into his bad boy exterior, and I had no problem imagining Boomer and Brick though. They just looked more like the guys at school. It was probably because they didn't have the biceps of Butch. Their muscles were less defined.

I fell asleep, dreading the morning and when it came I wanted to throw my pillow over my head and ignore it, but I had to wake up Buttercup and possibly even Blossom. I dragged myself to the bathroom and splashed water on my face; I flipped any light I could find on, though I flinched at the brightness.

As I thought Buttercup lay in bed a pillow over her head and a trash can beside her. Her room smelt rancid and she looked pale and sick. I told her not to drink but no one listens to Bubbles.

Blossom was in a similar state and I decided to let her sleep. I got dressed and cranked out some pancakes for when they woke up. I left 3 in front of the lab for the professor.

I dreaded braving school alone, but I hardly saw them there anyway. Still it was sad going through my classes just knowing there was no chance of seeing them in the hall. The day was normal, and despite rumors I saw no sign of the boys.

At lunch I thought of going back home and bringing them burgers or something, but when I got outside I saw something that stopped me in my tracks.

"They probably knew I was coming and knew they weren't strong enough to face me, losers." Her lisp was gone and she was taller but not much more was different.

"Princess?" I breathed, not sure if she had noticed me. The girl was in uniform. A purple skirt and yellow sweater vest. She was bustier, in a way that looked fake, but I gave her the benefit of the doubt. I hadn't seen Princess since elementary school when she moved to Paris. Now she was back, for whatever reason and it all seemed a bit suspicious. First, the boys now this, who next? Mojo? I jumped behind a bush, realizing that I didn't want to be seen.

"What are we looking—is that Princess?" Brick had come up behind me, along with the rest of the Ruffs. They all looked just has I imagined in the uniform. Brick and Butch were in black jeans and ties. Boomer was the only one in blue.

"Is that princess?" Asked Butch, he scoffed. "Fake."

"I'm trying to hide and people tend to notice four people behind a small bush." I warned, glaring hard at someone's chin. I couldn't turn my head all the way around without losing my balance.

"Oh, sorry." They didn't leave just came closer, effectively getting out of view and squeezing me between them.

"This isn't what I meant." Boomer pulled me onto his knee, giving me more space, and less pride I just shook my head and listened closer to what Princess was saying.

"I don't want to be a Powerpuff Girl anymore that was the dream of a child. Of course I still want to crush them but that's another story". A group of two girls and two guys surrounded her and she looked a bit like a mob boss.

"Stop it." I warned slapping Boomers arms away from my waist. He snickered and set his head on my shoulder.

"I guess she didn't like Paris." Brick whispered.

"Well she couldn't speak the language so it's to be expected." Boomer snickered at his own joke.

"She was there long enough, I think she learned."

"I doubt it. She probably had a translator." Butch suggested, and I could imagine princess walking with someone behind her and saying every word she uttered back in a better voice with a cool French accent.

"She's leaving." Brick announced and I hurried away from Boomer and them, noticing that Boomers hands had shifted back around my waist.

"Do you mind?" I asked getting up and fixing my skirt.

"Not at all." Boomer said, lowering his voice and taking on a creepy stare. Butch and brick looked between each other and at their brother, obviously as appalled as me.

"You're being weird." Brick warned matter-of-factly, and Boomer seemed to realize what he was doing and quickly looked away.

"What was that about?" I asked Brick. We had the same class next and left Boomer and Butch.

"Can't say."

"Because you don't know or some guy rule."

"Guy rule." He smirked.

"Well then I think I can figure it out from there." I sigh.

"You don't like Boomer? He was your first kiss." Remembering that incident brought a wave of heat to my cheeks and Bricks ever in place smirk faltered a bit. "I think he's liked you for a while, .just realized it when he saw you again." Brick admits rubbing the back of his neck, adding to the smoothness of his cool-guy demeanor.

"It was only a cheek kiss." I say quietly. "Did something happen while you guys were gone?" I say, trying to leave the subject of kissing far behind. I recalled how strange boomer seemed compared to his brothers. His face always dark, it had lost the light it had held once before.

"Boomer spent a year away; he left a note that said not to search for him." Bricks red eyes looked far away. "He was different when he got back." I shook my head and tried to ignore the nagging at the back of my head that seemed to always come right before something bad happened.


End file.
